


rebel ashes.

by j_whirl44



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, listen the timelines add up that's all I'm saying @ LucasFilm, the crossover event you've all been waiting for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22983130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_whirl44/pseuds/j_whirl44
Summary: Cara goes to help Din and runs into old friends.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Poe Dameron, Cara Dune & Shara Bey, Cara Dune & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Shara Bey/Kes Dameron
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	rebel ashes.

It’s been two months since Cara and Din clashed with Gideon on Nevarro and things had been far too quiet for Cara’s liking. The city was by no means peaceful now even with the ex-Imperial threat gone, but it wasn’t anything more than petty crimes and drunken squabbles. Nothing worth her time. Not to mention Karga annoyed her every chance he got, and she still didn’t trust him at all.

Nevertheless she could admit she did like the stability she had here. The impulse to look over her shoulder started to fade; which lifted a weight from her but also filled her stomach with dread. Cara Dune had always walked through life with an ever present chip on her shoulder and it felt strange to not have it around as much anymore.

As she sat alone again at the bar and watched the others bicker and trade amongst each other she’d wonder what Din and the child were up to. If they were safe. A few weeks back she had heard one troubling report that Gideon might have survived the crash.

She went to the site right away, but the TIE had already been stripped of all major parts. There wasn’t a body, but no surrounding footprints either. He couldn’t have gotten far on foot and she thought she would’ve noticed someone come in and help him escape. So for once, she hoped for the best and that Gideon was gone from their lives, or at the least, if Din ran into trouble he’d contact her for help.

Lost in thought, she heard someone sit across from her. She focused again and rolled her eyes as she saw Karga looking at her. He put up his hands in mock hurt.

“Now Cara when are you going to play nice with me, huh?” he asked. She gave him a small smile. It wasn’t entirely friendly, but not entirely cold either.

“What do you want now, Karga,” she said flatly. He put down his arms. She could now see that there was a seriousness in his look. She leaned forward a bit as she focused more of her attention onto him.

“Got a new batch of bounties today,” he said as he reached into his pocket. He spread out the chips on the table in front of them.

“And?” she said.

His hand hovered over a specific one as he picked it up and tossed it to her. She almost didn’t catch it.

She opened it to see a familiar face light up in the palm of her hand. Along with a pretty substantial bounty.

She muttered a curse under breath as Karga let out a hollow laugh, “Yeah I’d thought that might interest you,” he said.

“What did he do to get that kind of a bounty on his head,” she said.

“Besides the obvious?”

Cara looked back up at him with a troubled expression, “But we got rid of that problem...Gideon he’s…” she trailed off; she thought back to the empty TIE.

“He might’ve not been the only one looking for the baby. Hell we know he wasn’t the only one. We did a good job scaring others off but maybe it’s been long enough that someone’s back on his trail,” Karga said. Cara shoves the bounty chip in her pocket and takes a long sip of her drink.

“He’s going to have a lot of people after him with a price like that,” she said. If she didn’t know him, she herself would probably take the bait.

“Yes I imagine I’m not the only one to receive this offer. Not to mention things have been slow as of late. A payout like that would have even the better off hunters in the fight,” he replied.

Cara gripped her cup tighter and squeezed her eyes shut. She thought about what her next move would be.

After a moment she brought out the chip again and examined it once more. “What’s he doing in the Yavin system?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, friend,” he said. Her face twisted once more. Karga cleared his throat, “Look. We both know you’ve wanted to get off this planet for a while now. And we both know he’ll need help. He’s capable, but not that capable.”

Cara’s fingers ran over the bounty chip once more as she contemplated his words. He was right by all counts. She wanted off world for a bit, and a small part of her missed Din. The child too. She just would have liked to be seeing them again under much better and simpler circumstances.

She stood and Karga watched her every move. She gave him a nod, “Looks like I have a job to do.”

The trip to Yavin 4 was uneventful, which she was grateful for. Karga hooked her up with one of his “best and most discreet pilots” as he put it. As they were getting ready to take off she saw him slip the man a lot of credits. He gave her a stiff wave as a send off which she returned and off from Nevarro she went.

Sometime along a trip she fell asleep and was woken up by the rough landing. She groaned and rubbed her head as they touched down.

“Sorry miss, the atmosphere is sticky here. Wasn’t prepared for it,” the pilot said. She just gave him an annoyed sigh as she checked to make sure her belongings were okay. The landing dock was full of vendors and sound. Different from the barren desert of Nevarro, Yavin 4 had the tallest trees that Cara had ever seen. They lumed over the makeshift marketplace and seemed to make the planet always look like it’s in its night cycle with the way the leaves blocked out the sun.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way down the ship’s ramp. It was crowded, which made it easy for her to blend in. Her plan was to lay low for a few days and see if she can find Din while also keeping tabs on any noticeable bounty hunter or otherwise undesirable characters in the area.

She was stopped by a very persistent vendor who was pushing a bowl of  _ something _ in her face. She jumped and politely declined as she made her way towards the local cantina. She figured it was as good of a place as any to start.

She didn’t expect to see Din immediately, him and his shiny armor stuck out like a sore thumb. She also noticed he wasn’t alone. He was talking to someone who’s back was turned from Cara. She quickly made her way over to the bar and tried to not be seen in the process.

They were sitting slouched and in a darker part of the room. She looked down at Din’s feet and sure enough there was the little green child clinging to his calf. She couldn’t help the smile that played at her lips upon seeing them again. She ordered a drink and tried to settle in as best she could.

As she sipped her drink she now focused her attention on everyone else in the room. It seemed to be mostly locals; which in turn made her and Din stick out even more. There were a few off worlders, she assumed, but they didn’t look like they were in the business of bounties. She glanced back over at Din and noticed his body language. He was relaxed, his arms limp on his lap, hands calmly clasped together. Whatever conversation he was having seemed to be going well. The person he’s talking to looks down at the Child and reaches out their hand to them. Cara sees the soft face of a woman who smiled kindly down towards the little one. Din tensed at this, but the Child slowly walked towards her and reached out their hand in response. Cara gets so caught up in the sweet moment that she almost doesn’t see it.

A stocky figure from the other corner of the cantina starts to walk over to them, a hand on his hip. A blaster just out of sight. He moves fast and is behind them in a few short movements. Neither Cara nor Din can react.

The woman does.

In the time it takes the bounty hunter to reveal his blaster she already strikes him with her own. She’s just stunned him by the looks of it, not fatal. The cantina stirs into a frenzy and she rushes Din and the Child out through a backdoor in the chaos; Cara follows them.

They’re just a few steps away and she stays back to catch part of their conversation.

“I can take you to it, just promise we won’t be followed,” the woman says.

Cara recognized the voice and swung her head to look at her more clearly. Her eyes widen and she lets out a gasp.

Din and the woman both look towards her direction. Din unclasps his blaster from the belt around his waist and the woman does the same.

Cara shut her eyes and banged her head against the building she was hiding behind. She took a deep breath and walked out with her hands up.

They both pointed their blasters at her, but both dropped them just as quickly.

“Cara?” Din said dumbfounded.

“Cara…” the woman whispered, her eyebrows shot up as realization made its way to her face, “Carasynthia Dune?”

Cara cringed at the use of her full name as she lowered her hands.

“Hi,” she said. The Child immediately started to walk towards her. She crouched down and smiled, patting them on the head. They already look bigger from the last time she saw them. They started to fill out the little napsack they wore in lieu of clothing.

“You two know each other?” Din asked.

The woman laughed, “something like that,” she said.

Cara stood back up and approached them, “Hi Shara. It’s been a while,” she said.

To her surprise, Shara hugged her, “Indeed it has,” she mused as she broke into a big smile. Shara looked between the two of them, “I would ask why you’re here but I’m guessing I already know the answer. I was just going to show our friends here to my home. You’re welcome to join us,” she said.

Cara looked at Din who just nodded. She then looked down at the Child who also gave the tiniest of nods. Cara sighed, this wasn’t at all how she expected this to go.

“It’s not far from here. We’ll have to use some unmarked paths through the forests, however, I'd rather not repeat the same incident from the cantina,” Shara said.

The four walked in silence for a moment before Din cleared his throat, “So how  _ do  _ you two know each other,” he said. There was a hint of intrigue in his voice that he tried to mask but Cara heard it. 

“Cara here helped me protect Leia Organa when I was her personal pilot. Nothing serious but Force knows how big of a target that woman had on her back. The Imps couldn’t stand her,” Shara said.

Cara brushed her off, “It never was anything serious. Like I said I was mostly just a security detail,” she said.

We definitely could have used you during Operation: Cinder,” Shara said with a laugh. Cara’s chest tightened a little. She heard vaguely about that fight. The Empire’s attempt at one last hurrah before they were finally taken down. She was sent to a more discreet location to take down Imperial leftovers.

She would’ve liked to be on Naboo to help protect Leia. Cara admired her more than she’d care to admit. Growing up on Alderaan she’d see her face and feel her presence everywhere. They both were fighters in their own ways.

As they continued to walk, Cara noticed that the Child walked close to Shara and looked up at her intently rather than the trail in front of them. Shara looked down at them and smiled, she stopped to pick them up.

“Now it seems this little one needs my help huh?” she said as she rubbed her finger up and down their stomach. The Child almost sounded like they were laughing. “I have to say I wasn’t expecting to be in the company of a Mandalorian or an ex shocktrooper today,” she finished. Cara noticed how calm Shara always presented herself, even in times of immense stress and panic. She thought back to what happened in the cantina just a few moments earlier and how unphased she was at the bounty hunter coming up behind her.

There weren’t many women; many people out there like her, Cara knew. She’d seen first hand how she could fly any type of ship. Her hands were always steady and she never broke a sweat.  _ “No I don’t have the Force,”  _ she had said to Cara one day,  __ “I’m just that damn good.”  
  
It was a few more minutes before they came up the walkway to a modest home settled just beyond the tree line. She stepped inside, the Child still wrapped in her arms.

“Kes? Sweetheart where are you?” she called out. Cara observed just how cozy the home was. There wasn’t much but it was cluttered with little things to show it was well lived in. There were two helmets that sat on display next to each other by the entrance, but that seemed to be the only reminder of the war. Cara tried to focus on anything else.

“Out here darling,” a voice called out. Shara looked back at Din and Cara and motioned them to follow her.

“Come! Meet my husband...besides the reason you’re here if out there as well,” she said.

Cara gave Din a look but he ignored her as they followed her outside into a spacious backyard.

A man was hunched over a spot in the garden, he looked up with a smile but that soon went away as he saw the others.

“Shara…” the man said.

“Kes I can explain,” Shara started. The Child squirmed in her arms from Kes’s worried tone.

“Mamma!” a voice rang out in the yard.

Cara watched a small boy rush out of the A-Wing that was stationed along the side of the house. Shara knelt down and smiled at him as he hugged her. The boy instantly noticed the small green child in her arms.

Shara set the Child down. The boy sat down next to him, examining him.

“What is it?” he asked bluntly. Shara attempted to hide her laugh as Kes gave an exhausted sigh. Cara felt Din stiffen beside her, she reached out and touched his arm.

“Relax. He’s just a kid,” she said. Of course she couldn’t see his face but she could imagine the expression he was making right now.

“Poe why don’t you take this little one to the tree over there while your father and I speak to our guests,” she said.

Poe turned his attention to the two of them and his eyes went wide with wonder at Din. Now it was Cara’s turn to try and hide a laugh. She  _ really _ wished she could see his face now.

“Your armor is so cool,” Poe said. He ran up to Din and reached out to touch it before Shara stopped him.

“Poe please I won’t ask again,” she said with a tone that Poe must have known meant business. He nodded and skipped back over to the Child.

“Hi! My name’s Poe. Do you want to see my special tree!” he said. The Child gurgled in response, which Poe must’ve taken as a yes as he started to walk towards what Cara now sees as a big glowing tree that seemed to engulf almost the entire side of their yard. The Child doesn’t delay in following him.

“So you get back after a morning patrol only to run off again and bring home three strays huh,” Kes said. He looks Din and Cara up and down, he spots the tattoo on Cara’s arm, “A shocktrooper?” he looks over at Din again, “a Mandalorian? Shara what is happening.” Kes sounds exhausted but the fondness in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed either.

Shara walks towards her husband and puts her hands on his shoulders and gives him a kiss on the forehead.

“Why don’t we all sit down and talk,” she said. The four moved to a small table just off towards the side. Cara watched as Poe seemed to talk the ear off of the Child as he pointed out different branches and leaves of the tree.

Shara gave a small laugh, “My son’s a real people pleaser,” she said, “though that tongue of his is almost too sharp. I suppose it’ll get him in trouble someday.” Cara noticed an almost sad look in her eye as she watched her son but it faded quickly as she turned her attention back to the group.

“Well on my morning patrol I saw a ship, his ship,” Shara started, pointing at Din, “docked in an unsanctioned area and I went to go investigate.”

Cara watched Kes watch Din as Shara explained the ordeal. He was protective of her; a side effect of war maybe.

“So we met, nearly stunned him on the spot until I saw that little green over there,” she turned her attention to Din, “thought you might be in trouble. Turns out you are, if that incident at the cantina has anything to show for it,” she said with a wink.

“What incident?” Kes asked.

“Our friend here has a bounty on his head I suspect. And I also suspect that it has something to do with this child you brought with you. And why you needed to see our tree,” she said.

Cara looked between the two of them. No one spoke for a moment and then Din finally answered, “I used to work with the Bounty Hunters Guild. Imps on Nevarro gave every hunter in the place a tracker leading to the child. They wanted it for some sort of experiment. I,” he hesitates, “I couldn’t let that happen. The Imps...didn’t agree,” he explained.

“A Mandalorian with a moral code?” Kes said under his breath. Shara gave him a warning.

Cara chimed in now, “We were able to flush out the Imps on Nevarro. The planet’s been clean for a few months now,” she looked at Din, “but…” She took out the bounty chip in her pocket and laid it on the table and activated it.

Shara gasped and Kes whistle, “That’s quite a lot of credits for your head,” he said. Cara saw Din’s hand instinctively reach for his blaster. She tensed. She knew Shara and Kes; they wouldn’t be the type to collect credits for lives.

Shara laughed, breaking whatever tension was forming, “You really must have pissed off someone, huh,” she said, “the only people able to pay that much for a bounty are ex-imperial. Impressive.”

Din nodded stiffly at her, hand falling back from his hip. Cara relaxed.

“I’m sorry I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Kes,” he said, he stuck a hand out to Cara, she shook it.

“Kes! This is Cara Dune. She helped as extra muscle sometimes when I was flying with Leia,” she said.

Cara blushed under Shara’s intense introduction and the way Kes smiled at her. A mutual sign of respect between them.

The moment passed as the four of them heard a scream come from Poe by the Force tree. Shara and Kes both shoot up at once and Cara and Din share a concerned look between each other.

“Poe!” Shara said. The four rush over to the tree but stop as they now hear the boy laughing. The four of them try and take in the scene in front of them.

Poe is floating. About four feet in the air. The tree around him is glowing brighter round the two of them. The Child has his arms outstretched, the branches around them seemed to copy that movement.

“Mamma! Dad! Look at this!” Poe said as he twisted and turned in the air; a big smile sprung across his face.

They all were dumbfounded as Poe and the Child laughed. There's a smile on Shara's face and Kes seemed to have a glimmer of wonder in his eyes.

The Child slowly turned to look at the four of them. They then focused on Din and suddenly seem to forget what they were doing and are now smiling as they walk towards him.

Poe fell was a gasp and the thump and not one of them can hold in their laughs; even Kes who until now had been taking this whole situation with worry and apprehension on his face broke into a smile at his son's expense.

"Ow! Hey!" Poe said with a pout. He laid down with a huff and crossed his arms.

Kes rolled his eyes and went over to pick him up and spun him around a few times making both of them laugh. Cara looked over at Shara; she had that same sad look in her eyes as before. It now began to worry her.

"Alright you two, why don't you start to get dinner ready," Shara said. Kes put Poe down and the two of them went back to the small garden and began to pick the various foods that grew there.

She turned to Cara and Din, who was now holding a sleeping Child. "Both of you are welcome to stay tonight. We...only have one spare room, but the couch is also spacious. Please I- _ we _ insist."

Cara could feel the slight hesitation in Din. He looked down at the Child and then back at Shara, "thank you, Shara. That would be nice."

Cara raised her eyebrows, Shara smiled politely and went to go help her family with the meal.

Cara turned to Din, "since when are you so trusting?" she teased.

"I don't really have many other options. Besides sleeping on the forest floor," he replied.

"I think maybe you're just going soft," she replied. She rolled her eyes when she got no response from him.

There's a moment of silence between them before they both turn to each other.

"How are you feeling," she asked. Her tone is soft.

He looked down at the Child and then back up at her, “I’m okay. We’re okay. Haven’t gotten into much trouble since we left,”

“Until now,” she said.

Din hesitated, then nodded his head, “until now.”

“So why are you here anyway? What does Shara and her family have to do with the kid?” Cara asked. Ever since Karga handed her the bounty chip she’s been a little on edge. She thought things were going back to normal, but now this new threat is upon them. She didn’t want to drag Shara and her family into it like they did with the village on Sorgan. Although, Shara and Kes could certainly handle themselves better than they could.

“Not her family. It’s...the tree. I got a tip about a powerful tree that supposedly connected with the Force. I thought maybe it’d be a good place to start,” Din said.

“The Force? You think that exists?” she said.

It’s not like Cara didn’t  _ believe  _ in the Force. It was hard not to growing up on Alderaan and having parents that believed wholeheartedly in it. Plus the short time she spent with Leia, she could tell that something was inside her. In the way she spoke and just overall presented herself.

But the Force just, existing inside a tree? She didn’t know if she believed in it that much.

“I didn’t. Until I met the kid. The things it’s been able to do since I’ve had it. There’s just no other explanation. You saw what it did just now by the tree,” he said, again looking down at the small green child in his arms, “It’s connected. To the Force. Something bigger. That’s why the Imps were after it in the first place.”

Cara looked back over at the tree. It now stood like a normal tree, but it was the only one in the yard that seemed to sway. Not to mention it was still glowing. There was definitely something about it. She looked back at the Child.

She was about to respond when Poe walked over to them. Eyes on the Child. “Dinner will be ready soon,” he announced. Cara nodded. “Is it okay?” he asked, there was the same worry in his eyes that his father had when they first arrived. In fact, Cara notices now just how much the boy looks like Kes. He gets his curls from Shara, though.

“It's fine. Just needs to rest,” Din said.

“I can show you to the spare room and you can settle it down there,” Poe said. He smiled brightly and waited for Din’s response.

Cara could tell he was going to turn the kid down so she answered for him, “That’s a good idea, Poe. He’ll follow you up.”

Poe rushed ahead and she pushed Din to follow. He sighs but obliges.

Shara walks back over to her, “Come. Let’s talk,” she said.

They sit back down at the same table as before and it’s silent for a moment. “So how did you get involved with a Mandalorian?” Shara asked.

Cara smiles, “I was just trying to enjoy my retirement. Thought he found me on a bounty. Then he recruited me to help him with a village in peril. We went our separate ways until he dragged me into another favor. Now I’m just here to try and make sure he and the kid are safe,” she said.

Shara smiled, “Well you’ve always been a capable woman.”

Again Cara found herself blushing at the compliment. She shook it off quickly though, “You want to explain to me why that tree is glowing,” she said.

Shara laughed, “it’s a very popular tree as of late. When I found your friend this morning he explained to me he was looking for a certain tree. Only that might help explain the powers his little one has. I told him to come find me later at the cantina in town. And here we all are.”

“So that tree has the Force?”

Shara nodded, a smile creeping on her face, “We went through a lot of trouble stealing it back from the Empire,” she said.

“We?”

“Luke Skywalker and I. He brought me on a mission to Vetine to recover the last two fragments of it. He gave me one and took the other. Kes and I planted it as soon as we returned home.”

“Luke Skywalker?” was all Cara could say.

“The one and only,” Shara said. “It’s a tree that apparently used to help the younglings with their training. The Emperor had it destroyed so it must’ve been important. Your friend was right to seek it out, I think. I’m not sure we can help figure it out though.”

Din came down to them at the table. “Your son asks a lot of questions,” he said. Shara laughed loudly. 

“He certainly does. Where is he now,” she said.

“He wanted to stay with the kid. Make sure it’s okay,” he said.

Shara shook her head, “That sounds like my boy.” She hesitated, Cara can feel she wants to say something but doesn’t. Her eyes get glossy like she’s holding back tears.

“Shara. Sweetheart why don’t you go wash up. I’ll keep our guests company,” Kes said. She stood and gave him a smile as well as another quick kiss on the forehead before she retreated inside.

Kes gave Cara and Din a tired smile. She bit the inside of her cheek to try and stop herself from asking questions.

“My wife is sick. Of what we don’t know,” he said. Cara’s breath caught in her throat. Even Din bristled a bit at that statement. “We don’t know how much longer she has left. We haven’t told Poe yet,” he gives a bitter laugh, “We probably won’t tell him at all until it’s too late,” he looked at Din with a harsh look, “She’s a fighter. She’ll always fight for what’s right. You coming here with a cause like this, it’s no surprise she helped you. But after this. After you find the answers you’re looking for. You can’t come back to this place. If you need people to fight, I’m sorry but we can’t do it.”

There’s a tense feeling in the air now, especially between the two men. Kes’s jaw is clenched and his hand on the table is in a fist. Despite this, Din seemed calm. Like he understood.

“I understand. We won’t impose any more than we already have. I’m...sorry,” he said.

Neither Cara nor Kes expected that answer.  _ You really are going soft _ , she thought.

“I- thank you,” Kes said, relaxed now, “We fought with the rebellion because we couldn’t stand by and watch others being hurt. And more importantly we didn’t want Poe growing up with the Empire surrounding him. Our boy deserves better than to fight in wars.”

The three of them continued to sit there in silence as they all took in the heaviness of the conversation that had just happened. There was a small ding that came from inside. Kes stood up, “That’s dinner, hope you’re hungry,” he said.

After another few minutes they all had their plates of food. Of course, Din took his upstairs to the spare room and sent Poe down to be with his parents.

Cara watched the family interact. Poe sat and asked her a million questions. Like who she was, how she got that tattoo, if she was from Yavin. He was exhausting, but Cara tried to answer the best she could.

His parents laughed under their breath at their son. The room was light and Cara couldn’t help but bask in it. She knew going forward after she and Din left them wouldn’t be easy, she still hadto tell him that Gideon is probably still alive. So for now she let herself feel the love that this family had for each other, and it gave her the hope she needed for the future.

**Author's Note:**

> This was very fun to write and v e r y self-indulgent but also I really had no idea what a 7-year-old sounds like I really tried my best lmao.
> 
> Sprinkled with some domestic Dameron family fluff because it's something we all need.
> 
> Also like if anyone form LucasFIlm is out here creeping I give you this idea for free just make it happen.
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading and kudos to you for being as whipped for obscure Star Wars content as I am!
> 
> (as always apologies for any mistakes)


End file.
